How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine was amazing but not anything like I thought it was going to be. So here's the deal...last Monday night, we were at a teaching appointment with Silvia, who is getting baptized this week. Our phone started ringing and usually we don't answer it but it was the AP's so we did this time. They asked for Hna Bushman and asked her if she would be a trainer again for this transfer. She said yes and then said, "Wait, in Paterson?" To which the AP's replied yes...and she just stared at me wide-eyed and we both started crying. Haha, yep, that's how it all went down that I found out I was getting TRANSFERRED! So I packed my things in what little time we had on Tuesday amidst going to all our investigators and converts and members and seeing them one last time. I started crying as I sat in Raymundo and Lupita's little basement bedroom, their girls all sitting on the bed. Dang, it was hard saying bye to them. The little one, Danniela, gave me a card and her teddy bear before I left. I love that family and miss them a lot. One of the YW in the branch gave me her teddy bear as well and Hna Socorro let me keep her guitar to remember her. We couldn't stop by and see Rafael but we called him and he was basically crying over the phone. I think it was just that none of us were mentally prepared for the change that happened, and it threw us all off. But hey, that's the mission.
So now, I am serving in Morristown, the Spanish branch, with Hermana Andrews. She is from Auburn, CA (my 3 comp from CA :) and she is AWESOME! We seriously hit it off right off the bat and have just been going strong ever since. She is only 2 transfers older than me on the mission, so we're basically in the same boat as far as a lot of things go, and I like that because we are really a team. She served here last transfer with an English sister (Spanglish companionship) so she had to do all the Spanish lessons and everything and they had to try to juggle both the Spanish branch and the English ward but now we are able to just focus on the Spanish branch. My Spanish has been skyrocketing as we have just been taking on a "fake-it-till-you-make-it" attitude. No more playing the "I'm brand new" card. Haha. We have also been making it a goal to speak Spanish any time we're outside of the apartment. It has been really good. We didn't do that in Paterson at all.
I absolutely LOVE my life here in Morristown. After seeing a sister last transfer hate her whole transfer because she kept wanting to be in her old area, I decided that every area I serve in would be my favorite while I am there. So life is good. The members here are great. The branch is about a third of the size of the one in Paterson, so it's interesting. We have three baptismal dates for this month, which is way exciting! :) One of them, Judith, has been being taught for years and years by missionaries and we are the end of a long line trying to get her baptized. We did a Word of Wisdom lesson with her on Saturday and she had a question about which teas she could and couldn't drink. Hna Andrews offered to look at her tea for her and tell her which ones were herbal. So we looked at them and none of them were. She gathered all her tea back up and we thought she was going to put it back in the cupboard when she headed straight for the trashcan and dumped all her tea right out!!!! It was amazing!
Another cool investigator we have is named Lady. She is this young Columbian mother with 2 really rowdy kids and a husband in jail for drugs or something. She has made a lot of mistakes in her life but it is amazing to see the changes she is making. She started reading the Book of Mormon and is already in Mosiah (reminds me of Rafael, a lot)! She told us about how she prayed about Joseph Smith and she was like "Oh, I know it's true. Everything you guys are saying is true. I want to get baptized and show God that I am changing my life." Yeah, amazing. And then all we had to do was get her to church and the branch fellowshipped the heck out of her! Haha, it was so cool.
We had a really neat mission-wide fireside last night where all the missionaries sang a bunch of Christmas songs and there were talks. It was held here in Morristown and another one will be held in 2 weeks in Union City. I accompanied for "This is the Christ." I just love playing the piano. And also, all of the YW from Paterson got together and drove down to Morristown for it so I got to see them all last night, which was nice.
It's weird to think I am already in my second area and have possibly already said bye to people I may never see again in my life. But when I started crying as I left Paterson, I took that as a good sign because it meant the Lord had answered my prayers and blessed me with the ability to really love those people.
I love this work and I love seeing how this gospel and the Savior's atonement can cover every possible thing. The people we teach are so varied in background and needs but the amazing thing is that every one of them can be whole through the Atonement of Christ. I'm so grateful for that.
I hope everyone has a great week. I miss you tons but I love you more.
Love,
Hermana Jackson
Pictures: 883 - me and Hna Andrews
849 - me and Hna Bushman in front of a really famous tag out here in NJ...and we drove past it every time we went to the chapel in Paterson
851 - my old Paterson zone in front of the Silk City tag
So now, I am serving in Morristown, the Spanish branch, with Hermana Andrews. She is from Auburn, CA (my 3 comp from CA :) and she is AWESOME! We seriously hit it off right off the bat and have just been going strong ever since. She is only 2 transfers older than me on the mission, so we're basically in the same boat as far as a lot of things go, and I like that because we are really a team. She served here last transfer with an English sister (Spanglish companionship) so she had to do all the Spanish lessons and everything and they had to try to juggle both the Spanish branch and the English ward but now we are able to just focus on the Spanish branch. My Spanish has been skyrocketing as we have just been taking on a "fake-it-till-you-make-it" attitude. No more playing the "I'm brand new" card. Haha. We have also been making it a goal to speak Spanish any time we're outside of the apartment. It has been really good. We didn't do that in Paterson at all.
I absolutely LOVE my life here in Morristown. After seeing a sister last transfer hate her whole transfer because she kept wanting to be in her old area, I decided that every area I serve in would be my favorite while I am there. So life is good. The members here are great. The branch is about a third of the size of the one in Paterson, so it's interesting. We have three baptismal dates for this month, which is way exciting! :) One of them, Judith, has been being taught for years and years by missionaries and we are the end of a long line trying to get her baptized. We did a Word of Wisdom lesson with her on Saturday and she had a question about which teas she could and couldn't drink. Hna Andrews offered to look at her tea for her and tell her which ones were herbal. So we looked at them and none of them were. She gathered all her tea back up and we thought she was going to put it back in the cupboard when she headed straight for the trashcan and dumped all her tea right out!!!! It was amazing!
Another cool investigator we have is named Lady. She is this young Columbian mother with 2 really rowdy kids and a husband in jail for drugs or something. She has made a lot of mistakes in her life but it is amazing to see the changes she is making. She started reading the Book of Mormon and is already in Mosiah (reminds me of Rafael, a lot)! She told us about how she prayed about Joseph Smith and she was like "Oh, I know it's true. Everything you guys are saying is true. I want to get baptized and show God that I am changing my life." Yeah, amazing. And then all we had to do was get her to church and the branch fellowshipped the heck out of her! Haha, it was so cool.
We had a really neat mission-wide fireside last night where all the missionaries sang a bunch of Christmas songs and there were talks. It was held here in Morristown and another one will be held in 2 weeks in Union City. I accompanied for "This is the Christ." I just love playing the piano. And also, all of the YW from Paterson got together and drove down to Morristown for it so I got to see them all last night, which was nice.
It's weird to think I am already in my second area and have possibly already said bye to people I may never see again in my life. But when I started crying as I left Paterson, I took that as a good sign because it meant the Lord had answered my prayers and blessed me with the ability to really love those people.
I love this work and I love seeing how this gospel and the Savior's atonement can cover every possible thing. The people we teach are so varied in background and needs but the amazing thing is that every one of them can be whole through the Atonement of Christ. I'm so grateful for that.
I hope everyone has a great week. I miss you tons but I love you more.
Love,
Hermana Jackson
Pictures: 883 - me and Hna Andrews
849 - me and Hna Bushman in front of a really famous tag out here in NJ...and we drove past it every time we went to the chapel in Paterson
851 - my old Paterson zone in front of the Silk City tag
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